Latest News

Papa’s Fish and Chips in Cleethorpes is spearheading a campaign to remove all single-use plastics from its takeaway and it wants other shops to get involved too.

The seaside restaurant has launched the Takeaway Plastic Pledge by getting rid of polystyrene boxes and plastics bags, straws and cutlery and replacing them with disposable and biodegradable versions. It’s also carried out a beach clean in which over 30 volunteers filled several bags with litter that had been dumped on the beach or washed up, and it’s setting out to educate customers on how to responsibly dispose of and recycle its packaging.

Now, owners George and Dino Papadamou are sharing their knowledge and asking other shops to do their bit by joining the pledge too.

The pair has developed a website which not only details the scale of plastic pollution but also offers tips and advice on plastic swaps. Already more than 40 fish and chip shops have pledged their support, including takeaways in Leicester, Dudley, Halifax and Belfast.

George comments: “It’s a great campaign which is easy for everyone to get involved in. It starts with simple steps like getting involved with beach cleans, or simply encouraging customers to dispose of plastic responsibly. We have already had over 40 shops sign up and would love to see more get involved. It’s going to be a massive issue publicly and it’s good for takeaways to appear proactive and not reactive. The whole campaign is free to pledge and couldn’t be simpler.

“One takeaway being plastic free is literally a drop in the ocean but if everyone starts focusing on reusing and recycling responsibly, and encouraging that with the customers, then hopefully it will have a bigger impact and we’ll see less plastic in our seas.”

With eco-friendly packaging coming at a price premium, George also hopes the campaign will help lower costs, making it a more viable option. He adds: “Part of the logic for making this an industry-wide movement is that the prices are only going to get cheaper the more everyone jumps on board and if we are all pulling in the same direction prices will come down."

Hoping to have 100 shops sign up in the next few days, George adds: “It might only be 1% of the total fish and chip shops in the country but if it’s influential shops and people that set trends then it’s going to be a real movement. We don’t want this just to be statement, we want it to be a movement and it will only be that if everyone moves in the same direction together.”